Art & Fashion, Events, News
Oct 27, 2017

Redefining the Cosmetics Bag: Q & A with Thesis Couture CEO, Dolly Singh

We’ve all been there.  You know that moment – you are searching through a messy cosmetics bag looking for your favorite eyeliner while stopped at a traffic light on the way to a Hollywood party. Well, Thesis Couture is solving this problem with The NYLA bag’s intuitive organization and design.

Thesis Couture is known for their innovative shoes. The company was founded by CEO Dolly Singh, who left working alongside Elon Musk at SpaceX to reinvent the high-end high heel. Now, she’s taking the same ‘astronaut approach’ to reinventing the wheel when it comes to executing flawless design and engineering for makeup bags!

The NYLA bag features 20 individual slots and pockets to help women curate the perfect kit of beauty essentials. In addition, the cosmetics case also has several dedicated travel features and the case’s hook allows it to hang for easy makeup application on the

go. The bag is made of premium Nappa croc print leather from a world class Italian tannery and it’s shaped and sized small enough ( 4.5 x 6 x 9 inches closed and 9 x 10.5 inches open) to fit in any women’s handbag.

We sat down with Dolly to talk about her shift from shoes to cosmetics bags and what’s next (+ where we can get one!)

PPLA: Your company Thesis Couture is becoming known for taking a technology forward approach to traditionally non-tech industries.​ ​Tell us about your background at Space X and what inspired you to apply this to fashion by reinventing stilettos.

DS: High heels are a $40B industry where engineering discipline and methodologies had simply not been integrated into the ecosystem. That makes for a billion dollar industry ripe for innovation. When I joined SpaceX, I believed the aerospace industry had been stagnant for decades and could learn from the aspects of technology which have evolved exponentially in the last decade, and by doing so the industry could pull itself out of stagnation and into the innovation age. When I started Thesis, I felt the same way about the fashion footwear industry.

PPLA: How have your shoes been received in terms of public feedback, sales, and availability to purchase for the consumer?

DS: Everyone who has received our shoes has provided very positive feedback. Our next release is coming up for shoes in a few weeks.

PPLA: You are now moving into beauty with a new makeup case. What inspired this shift? What technology have you applied to make this case different from any other on the market?

DS: Just like our shoes help protect your feet, the case helps protect y

our make-up.​ ​There is no shift, it’s all part of our thesis (no pun intended) to make the everyday experiences of modern women better through great design.

PPLA: When will it be available and what’s the price point (one size style or multiple options)? Can you describe some of the key features or benefits to your product?

NYLA Bag_Thesis Couture

DS: The NYLA​ ​Bag is $225 in early release this year, and our Capsule One shoes will range from $500-$1000.

PPLA: What tips/advice to you have for other female CEOs taking non-traditional approaches to long-standing products?

DS: Do something you are passionate enough about that you’re willing to work through complex barriers, then no matter what happens, try to just keep going.

PPLA: We cover a lot of red carpets and celebrity events. If you could dress any celeb in your shoes, who would it be and why? If you could have any celeb or makeup expert try your case, who would it be and why?

DS: For our shoes, probably Jennifer Lopez. She is one of the most prolific modern dancers of our time. I think she would appreciate our shoes in a way like few others can given ​her ​talents. I’d love to see her in our shoes. Pink would be another great artist who we admire, and who works her butt off on stage. So our shoes are going to let them feel sexy as ever, but also better supported than any other four inch heels.

For the bag, it is literally for every girl or woman who uses make-up so we want everyone to try it. I would say Rihanna did an amazing job with Fenty, and we’d certainly love to collaborate on a special edition of the bag for them at some point.

The cost of each NYLA Bag is $350, but will be available on Indiegogo for $225 as a special offer for the first 40 days. Backers will receive shipments in early 2018.